Rio Tinto, BHP to collaborate on electric haul truck trials in Pilbara (updated)

Komatsu

27/05/2024 05:16

(Adds details, background in paragraphs 2-5)
       May 27 (Reuters) - Top Australian miners Rio Tinto
 RIO.AX  and BHP Group  BHP.AX  will work together for testing
large battery-operated electric haul truck technology in the
Pilbara region of Western Australia, Rio Tinto said on Monday.
    Rio and BHP, which are targeting to achieve net zero
operational greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, will work with
manufacturers Caterpillar  CAT.N  and Komatsu  6301.T  to
conduct independent trials of their battery-electric haul
trucks, Rio said in a statement.
    The trials will be undertaken to assess performance and
productivity in the Pilbara environment and represent the first
stage of electric haul truck testing at BHP and Rio's Pilbara
operations.
    Two Cat 793 haul trucks will be trialled from the second
half of 2024, and two Komatsu 930 haul trucks will be tested
from 2026 under the collaboration.
    "As we work to repower our Pilbara operations with renewable
energy, collaborations like this move us closer to solving the
shared challenge of decarbonising our operations, and meeting
our net zero commitments," Rio Tinto Iron Ore Chief Executive
Simon Trott said.
    

 (Reporting by John Biju in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza
and Subhranshu Sahu)
 ((John.Biju@thomsonreuters.com;))